Saturday, June 17, 2017

Okay, so I know we're supposed to hate M. Night Shlamalamaman for everything he did post-The Sixth Sense, because he is like the Nickelback of the movie world.But I liked this movie, okay?

A mom (Kathryn Hahn) has been estranged from her parents for years over a falling out they had over a man she was dating. Now they've looked her up and asked to spend a week with her two children, Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) and Becca (Olivia DeJonge) so that she can go on a vacation with her new boyfriend. Becca and Tyler are pretty excited about the opportunity, and Becca is using the visit to make a documentary.

The grandparents (Nana and Pop Pop) seem really nice, but they have a rule about not coming out of their room after 9:30. Being kids, they break the rule almost immediately and are disturbed to hear Nana being violently ill. The next day, they are startled when Nana chases them under the house, seemingly playfully, but with surprising speed and agility for her age.

As the days go on, there are more and more strange occurrences. Everyone chalks it up to old age, specifically a condition called "sundowning," a form of dementia which causes old people to act extra weird in the nighttime. But even these chill kids start to get riled up by the behavior and count down the days until they can go home.

I was actually watching this for a second time when I wrote this review, because I forgot to write the first time I watched it. And even though I knew the twist, honestly it still held up, and allowed me to pay attention to the other details in the movie. So I stand by this one, even though it might be the movie equivalent of singing along to "Photograph."